Most of our experience of chocolate comes from smell and taste, but also touch, sight and sound. In this episode, we’ll explore the sense people think of most when it comes to eating chocolate—and the one they think of the least. This show was previewed in this segment on Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW and featured on Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio.

Guests include:
Lisa Schroeder, sensory technologist and professional chocolate taster at Mars, on what it means to be the taster for iconic confections such as M&M’s, Snickers and Twix.

Russell Jones, the co-founder of Condiment Junkie, a creative agency based in London, on the surprising ways our senses influence flavor.

Felipe Carvalho, Brazilian sound designer and experimental psychologist, on how sound impacts our experience of the texture of chocolate.

Subscribe here and listen below.

Try listening to the soundtracks from Felipe Carvalho below while eating chocolate, and take a look at these recent articles by Felipe, titled “The influence of soundscapes on the perception and evaluation of beers” and “‘Smooth operator’: Music modulates the perceived creaminess, sweetness, and bitterness of chocolate,” that explain how these soundtracks modify the tasting experience.

Sweet soundtrack:

Bitter soundtrack:

Creamy soundtrack:

Rough soundtrack: